Relationship comes in many forms, we make our own ideal

This is by far the best season - and if I wasn't Ada Choi's fan prior, I definitely am now. She is absolutely hilarious and the kind of friend you want in any groups. Her EQ and tact are comforting and reassuring, it helps to warm up everyone quickly. I also love Zhang Jin's sense of humor that's more apparent as he warms up more to the other husband's in latter's episodes.

The other couples are also adorable. The thing about relationships, all couples have their own way of relating to each other and expressing their love. I enjoy watching
- Lang Lang's and Gina's idol love story,
- Sha Yi's and Hu Ke's 老夫老妻 (old husband, old wife) dynamics,
- Yuan Hong's and Zhang Xinyi's oddball expression of love towards each other (more YH than ZXY),
- Zhang Jin's and Ada's playful interactions with each other. Hearing the both of them recounting their love story, one from the wife's perspective, another from the husband's narrative is entertaining. He is also by far the most creative when it comes to providing gifts to his wife, invoking a lot of laughter and responses from the already hilarious Ada. How can we not love this couple?

Credits to the production team for their edits and the sound effects. It makes the travel looks so fun, the group dynamics and interaction so hilarious to watch.

Love love love this season. ?

Citeste mai mult

Puzzle pieces assembled right in a detective show

Many have talked about how underrated this detective show is, and it's rightfully so. It has been awhile since one could find such compact detective story plot in recent years. So if you are a fan of this genre, you should definitely check out The Imperial Coroner.

At the heart of it, the setup of this show is straightforward. As the title of the show suggest, our main character is a coroner - an aspiring female coroner who heads to the capital to get certified as an imperial coroner. Not many people think much about the coroner profession; and it is definitely not a profession, most if not all, females would aspire to be in ancient times. Which is where the first interesting element for The Imperial Coroner comes in - and shines.

Armed with a dream, solid skill, and earnest determination, Chu Chu manages to impress Prince An, Xiao Jinyu, who heads the Three Judicial Office during the coroner exam, which thus begin her coroner journey. Together, they work together to uncover mysteries involving murders, counterfeits, their own background and court power struggles. In a story about aspiring female coroner in ancient times, it's easy to typecast Chu Chu as Mary Sue; so I am glad the production team didn't go down this route. Coming from a backwater village, Chu Chu may be naïve, but she is not dumb. She looks up to Jinyu and greatly admires him as she grows to love him, but pulls her own weight to the mysteries with her competence and capability. Her relationship build up with Jinyu is believable and sweet to watch in the midst of crime-solving and compact plot-driven story.

Another two key elements which earns The Imperial Coroner the underrated drama of 2021 by critics and audience alike are the mystery plot and the team's dynamics. First, each arc is linked to the other - like solving a puzzle. While each piece tells a story on its own, assembling the pieces and connecting them one by one leads to the complete picture. There's nothing better than solid interconnected mysteries to drive the story forward in a detective genre show.

Next, the team's dynamics. This is an important element in any show, more so in detective stories. After all, it is the narrative of the characters that engages the audience to follow through the plots through each crime scene until the picture is assembled. Keyword here: engage. The production team really does this part justice. One of the fan favorites are the reenactment of crimes by Chu Chu and Jinyu. It's a refreshing way to visualize how the murders are done without losing us or dumbing the villain...well, except for one, but it's okay, The Imperial Coroner still does a great job overall.

I also like Jing Yi, Leng Yue and Jin Li who are the core supporting characters of this team. While the main brains of the mystery-solving is Jinyu's intellect and Chu Chu's coroner's capability, they do pull their own weight and bring something to the table - whether it is brawns or network or witty lines.

I believe this is a show that will gain its waves of delightful appreciation from time to time as new audience uncovers this diamond in the rough. Look forward to see more works from the screenwriters (Imperial Coroner is their first work!) and the budding cast.

Citeste mai mult

Finding your own answer as a doctor

This is a sequel of Dr. Romantic. One doesn't have to watch Dr. Romantic to follow and like this series, though it would certainly help. Teacher Kim and most of the supporting cast came back to reprise their roles. The newly added ones are our newly identified mentees of Teacher Kim in this season, Dr. Seo (portrayed by Ahn Hyo Seop) and Dr. Cha (portrayed by Lee Sung Kyung) as well as a hospital director Dr. Park.

Perhaps because of my bias towards both main actor and actress, I am more invested in this season's story than Dr. Romantic 1. Dr. Seo is a talented general surgeon who is strapped for money. Dr. Cha is a hardworking cardiothoracic surgery whose only, but vital, struggle is getting pass her panic disorder at the operating theatre. Both of them are transferred from the HQ to Doldam Hospital due to respective circumstances (as well as the influence of Teacher Kim), and thus began the journey of these 2 doctors on understanding what "Romantic" at Doldam means.

What I like better than its first counterpart is the chemistry and romance development of the main couple doctors, Dr. Seo and Dr. Cha. Both of them have been rivals since school days - Dr. Seo has always liked Dr. Cha all this while, but respectful and patient with the boundary set by Dr. Cha. He takes care of her in his own subtle way, while she stands up for him when no one will. I like this kind of comradery couple.

Another character introduced in the story is Dr. Park, who became the director of Doldam Hospital. He had a slightly obsessed, one-sided rivalry with Teacher Kim that I could not completely relate to, but his character arc and development is still enjoyable to watch. It depicts the story of someone who is held prison by his own mind, and the moment of seeing him freeing himself from it makes me cheer for Dr. Park.

The one key thing that will always be the highlight and strength of this show is the patient's stories. As the complex backstory of Teacher Kim was mostly fleshed out in Dr. Romantic 1, I feel that this sequel is able to focus more on the patient's case and narrative arc.

With these, I really enjoyed Dr. Romantic 2 and hope that if they do another sequel, Dr. Seo and Dr. Cha would both be back, pretty please?

Citeste mai mult

Different types of sweet love

This is a story that is about romance as much as it is about friendship. We have classic setup of 3 best friends with different personalities, and their respective pairing. The couples are
1) The typical 傻白甜 (silly, innocent, sweet) librarian Zeng Li paired with the straight laced and serious dentist Ai Jing Chu
2) Boyish Dr. Wu Ying with a 6 years younger university student Liu Yu Cheng
3) Influencer, sexy Ma Yi Yi on an off-on relationship / chemistry with entrepreneur playboy Deng Hao Ran

The story explores 3 different types of relationship pairing dynamics, as well as the friendship that the characters build and share with each other. There isn't anything novel about the plot or script - in fact, the classic meet-cute between Zeng Li and Ai Jing Chu is like your everyday rom-com scene. Nothing you have not watched before if you are a veteran in the rom-com genre.

What makes this series a slight cut above the other rom-com I watch is the friendship that 3 ladies share, as well as the exploration of 3 types of different pairings in 1 story. The acting of the leads are good too, considering the cast veer on the younger side.

Although, if I am allowed to nitpick one thing, it would be the title of this series. This series is original adaptation from a novel named "A Speck Amid the Dust of the World". I don't know what makes the production team decide on the name Sweet Teeth for the drama adaptation of it. Primarily because to me, the teeth and main lead's occupation as Dentist were only plot devices for Zeng Li and Ai Jing Chu to meet and get to know each other. As the story progresses, I barely even remember Zeng Li was forced to get braces or that Ai Jing Chu is a dentist.

The real message that I feel this story wants to portray is - in this vast world, my life becomes meaningful after I met you. And they (cast and production team) did well.

Citeste mai mult

Common setup with fresh element

This drama has a generic setup in wuxia, romance genres - Su Ci, a high-level investigator who disguises as a man, and Prince Qi, a military prince who disguises as a wealthy aristocrats as Pei Zhao meets on a chance encounter. Together with friends of different skillsets (a medic, a swordsman, and an all-in-one attendant), they form a fast friendship and great investigation team. Each case, though seemingly distinct, somehow leads them to getting tangled with the present brewing court struggles as well as to uncovering clues to redressing past injustices.

It may be an overused plot, but this drama interestingly strips away the angsts and misunderstandings between the main leads that tend to run a couple of episodes in other dramas. Su Ci is observant, collected and upright, Pei Zhao is strategic, patient and decisive. From their first encounter, we know that fate will bound them together and make them fall for each other, hard, despite the disguises and troubled pasts. It's pleasant to watch Su Ci and Pei Zhao budding and growing relationship - Pei Zhao is unwavering and unbashful in expressing his adoration towards Su Ci, Su Ci is supportive and honest with her feelings (most of the time) towards Pei Zhao. Any "rival" arcs introduced in the stories - if they are considered as rivals at all - are resolved rather quickly. In fact, I personally rather like the princess from Bei Rong, who is outspoken with her thoughts. Love this healthy dynamics and matured approach to relationship. ^^

And of course, the steamy and sweet moments between Su Ci and Pei Zhao are not to be missed. The actor and actress really do make you believe that they love each other - after the main leads confirm their relationship for each other in the later parts of the drama, Su Ci and Pei Zhao are generally never more than 2 steps apart if they are in the same frame! Okay, maybe I exaggerate a little, but point is, the main couple has great and lovely chemistry together. The second couple's story is fun to watch as well.

Apart from the main leads, Pei Zhao's good relationship with his brother, the emperor, is also a fresh of breathe air. And also, who would forget our adorable Fei Yuan? He is definitely more than an attendant to Pei Zhao, and contributes to many comedic moments in the show, along with our Xie daxia.

Fans of detective stories, however, may prefer to check out other series instead. This drama focuses more on the relationship dynamics between the main leads and the eventual showdown with the main villain. Crime solving is only part of the plots that move the story along - they are not weak on its own, but nothing too tricky or memorable about them either.

All in all, I enjoyed myself - if you are looking for an uncomplicated drama which brings some fresh elements to a common plot and great dynamics between the main casts, do give this show a chance.

Citeste mai mult

Only we can decide how we want to live and love

“The first time I truly felt happy is when I knew I have the ability to love my family. Even when I am disabled, it didn’t stop me from providing for them.” Zhuang Jie

~~~~

Zhuang Jie was like any other lady. In fact, she was more charming and chic than your girl next door. Except she had a disability - she lost a leg and her father from a bad accident during her teens.

This trip back to Nanjing was to recuperate from her surgery. She never planned to stay for long. Until she met Chen Maidong, her crush from high school.

Chen Maidong was like any other guy. In fact, he … really was like any other guy. With a granny that worried for his singlehood and aloofness about marriage. With a job at funeral line he held a little more dearly because of his past.

He never planned for his life to be different. Until he met Zhuang Jie.

Will Love in Spring could be a typical romantic contemporary story. What made it stood out and great was firstly, perfect casting choice.

Zhou Yu Tong and Li Xian chemistry as the main leads are on fire! How I love watching romance between adults. Their pull and push. Their fights and getting back together. Their kiss scenes. Purfect!

The supporting characters were great too. Each of them have their personalities which made them memorable and relatable. They aren’t only tools who push the plot forward. Their interactions with the leads and each other give more color and warmth to WLiS and the Nanping town.

First mention is Granny Chen’s and Granny Lin’s friendship - how lovely, being decades of friends. I love the depiction of their friendship which shows from this quote -
“以前是小手拉小手, 一转眼就是老手拉老手.
Last time, we held each other’s small hands, in a blink of an eye, we now hold each other’s old hands.”

The younger representation of equally great friendships were ZJ’s mum / Aunty Wu’s, and of course, ZJ and Wang Xi Xia.

The next mention is the sibling‘s relationship between ZJ, Zhuang Yan and He Niao Niao is another love. This is the kind of siblings we all wish to have. It’s a testament to how successful ZJ’s mum was in bringing them up. I love love their family scenes. Even when ZJ’s mum were scolding and had a more traditional mindset, this is a heartwarming family.

Similarly, Granny Chen and CMD family dynamics is lovely to watch too.

Special mention of Cui Ge and Jisan Goose. They added a lot of humour to WLiS.

With an ensemble like this , everyone one of them made facing all the heavy topics like separations, deaths, long distance relationships, disability, conflicting wants and adulting easier. How lovely and heartwarming.

Next, let’s dive deeper about the main leads love story.

Real and adult are 2 words come to mind.

I seen a lot of comments critiquing ZJ for shamelessly flirting CMD when she didn’t plan to stay long. I judged too - but then again, it’s the kind of judgment that holds a little envy. I envy her boldness of to speak her mind and enjoy the moment. I admire her quick wittedness and willingness to apologise first.

How charming, how attractive and how believable that CMD sunk.

It’s not a bed of roses after they confirmed their feelings for each other. Even when they made blunders and fight, I was satisfied with their resolution.

Some could name ZJ’s and CMD’s relationship toxic. I feel this is how real relationships are like. We stumble. We say things we don’t mean. So long we learn to apologise and we don’t repeat, I think it’s fine.

…well I guess the problem is sometimes we don’t. Thank goodness our leads do in WLiS.

Lastly, funeral makeup artist is no longer an unusual onscreen occupation. With this onscreen job, death is brought up every other episode. If not done well, the empathy for characters who passed away in the story and messages about appreciating life could feel empty and overtly cheesy.

For WLiS, I felt the balance was appropriate. They successfully made me care for the characters, hence, receptive with the subsequent messages that come with each death case that CMD had to handle.

This particular chat he had with someone contemplating suicide touched my heart somewhere. And I hope it reaches you too.

~~~~

“Everyone has times when they are tired of life. The reasons may vary, but the pain will feel the same.

Some family members want to use special coffins, unique urns or expensive headstones to prove the deceased was special.

However, these are all illusions.

Once we die, everyone is the same.
We can only prove how special we are by living well.” Chen Maidong

Citeste mai mult

Avatar game comes online on screen

The premise of this series is rather simple - Lin Zheng Zheng goes into VR game to rescue her boyfriend, Tu Si Yi who was stuck due to a mishap. However, what makes her rescue mission less simple, and thus a lot of room for laughter, is how her boyfriend has lost his memory and truly believe the VR world is his home. Not only that, he thinks she is his enemy.

I rated this series as high as 7 mostly for its comedic element. However, don't think too critically for a series that doesn't take itself too seriously for the most part. Perhaps because it is a the story centered in a VR world, the plot isn't very consistent. But perhaps also because it is in a VR world, I am able to close one eye on the inconsistency of plot hole. There are also some fillers here and there, which I feel, mostly to callout the cliché troupe of rom-com genre. I start to see a pattern of C-drama series incorporating the "break the 4th wall" narrative lately - while it is something I can appreciate now, I am not sure how I would feel later down the road if it becomes another common plot device.

Chemistry wise, the main leads are alright. They also manage to find a comrade and complementary skillset in their supporting cast - which makes some part of the plot feels like an adventure wuxia series, given the backdrop of ancient "game" world.

Citeste mai mult

Comedic break-the-4th-wall moments

These days, I somehow love dramas who could break the 4th wall and laugh at its own typical troupes and cliché-ness of romantic dramas. A drama about female scriptwriter being stuck in her own story in parallel historical female centric world? Sounds intriguing for sure, and plenty opportunities to poke a hole or two on the 4th wall.
The thing about breaking 4th wall though, where they were overly done or where they missed the mark, the drama would feel like a try-hard than witty. Not RoTR though – the moments were well executed, illogical and sometimes even crazy as they seem.

Chen Qian Qian, being stuck as a character who was supposed to die in episode 1 in her story, only focused on wanting to survive until “Happily Ever After” so she can go back to her real world. Han Shuo, a calculative and cunning heir with a terminal disease since young, only wanted to get the cure and mine ore from Chen Qian Qian so he can return gloriously to his city and succeed the title. Both have different motives, but both got more than what they asked for, even more so when they fall in love with each other.

Their servants also deserve a highlight – these two have the cutest dialogues, expressions and interactions. A lot of the comedic and perfect execution of break 4th wall moments come from these two and this drama would feel very different without them.

While it was a good ending, it feels like there were some loose ends, perhaps left untied intentionally. Hope season 2 would be here soon!

Citeste mai mult

Story that doesn’t translate right on screen

I hate to be that person who whines about how dramas fail to live up to its original comics or books. But I really can’t let this review slide because See You in My 19th Life was, is my favorite Webtoon series of all times.

SYiM19L has such an interesting premise. We have Ban Jieum as the female lead who found herself in her trickiest predicament yet - being her own love rival. To be more exact, her 18th reincarnated self was the girl whom Mun Seoha, her love interest, cannot forget. Being someone who can remember all her past 19 lives, would she be able to use her century old wisdom to win Seoha’s heart again?

When I first excitedly tune to the series, I kept telling myself to enjoy my beloved Jieum’s and Seoha’s romance on screen with an open mind. After all, I get that comic storytelling and drama storytelling aren’t exactly alike.

2 episodes in though, I couldn’t help but found myself picking up the webtoon again and put on the comparison lens. After crawling through 5 episodes, my verdict is in, the drama wasn’t appealing enough - even if I were to see it as a separate story.

All in all, the drama version made certain simple plots that already worked well more complex than necessary. I also didn’t enjoy the chemistry between drama version of Jieum and Seoha.

>>>Spoilers alert from here on<<<

1 Changes which weaken the core of what I love about the couple

In the webtoon, Jieum as her 18th reincarnation met Seoha first in the library. Though they didn’t like each other at first, they eventually got to enjoying each other’s company reading books and chitchatting. It was here where Jieum mentioned how she felt more like a 12 year old being around Seoha - and it was an important moment for her considering she had already lived for a century.

Instead of this simplistic meeting in the library and them enjoying each other’s company overtime, their first meetup is changed to the pool, which some element of fate.

Maybe it was trying to add more context to convince us how their love story could transcend 2 lifetimes. Maybe it was trying to add more shared moments that they could use to create that typical dreamy romance vibe that on screen. The pool scene was indeed pretty, but this pretty moment somehow drowned Seoha and Jieum. Added the cliche-y touch, cut away the couple’s unique vibe I love from webtoon. It’s something I appreciate less these days with romance dramas.

Another example of change that didn’t work well for me - was Jieum’s confession to Seoha.

In the webtoon, the confession was simple and pure. Jieum realised she liked Seoha and thought the moment was right to confess. There was an internal monologue shown to us on how Seoha’s actions that day impacted Jieum. It became clear to her that her affection towards Seoha remains romantic in this lifetime as well and thought it was important to confess. So she did. Simple, decisive and clear - like how someone who had lived for 19th life would rightfully do.

In the drama, they made Jieum ran in the rain from her place to Seoha’s (okay she ran to the taxi, then to Seoha’s, in the rain), then babbled to Seoha that she wanted to confess on his birthday because it would made him had a good memory to go by (instead of linking it to Joo Won’s death anniversary). And then, the moment got to predictably get interrupted by a “fake” love rival for a needed tension. I got tired typing this scenario out.

This change diluted the confession.

There were many more scenes like these that dial up the cliche-y moments. But let me move on to my next point.

2. Drama Seoha vs Webtoon Seoha
In the short 5 episodes I watched, I eventually warmed up to Shin Hye Sun’s portrayal of Jieum even when I didn’t like it either, but I sadly can’t say the same for Bo Hyun Ahn’s Seoha.

One of the most fun things about SYiM19L webtoon version was Seoha’s and Jieum’s banters - in particular, Seoha’s reaction to Jieum’s confessions and general remarks. The drama Seoha is too reserved, which dull a lot of the humorous moments I had enjoyed back then when reading the webtoon. The webtoon Seoha wasn’t friendly either, but he had way more reactions to Jieum’s teasing.

Hye Sun’s and Hyun Ahn’s on screen chemistry was also only so so to me. Not enough for me to like them separately from the webtoon version.

3. Jieum’s mystery and the finale
For remaining part episodes, I ended up googled others’ reviews to catch up on the story plot at high level.

If I had disliked the aforementioned changes, I am definitely upset with this one - they made Jieum forget the people in this lifetime too if she wants to break her curse. Whose genius idea is this to add this unnecessary cliche plot? Some critiques already pointed out the loophole on this.

In the webtoon, she simply won’t remember them anymore when she reincarnated in her next life. And this made so much more sense. After all, Jieum’s love story with Seoha happened because she remembered her past 18 reincarnated self. If she needs to forget them in this lifetime, what’s their love story without it anymore?

>>>Spoilers ends<<<

This concludes my review on See You in My 19th Life. It failed to capture the key spirits that made the webtoon version popular and enjoyable. The quirky and sassy female lead, the equally lovable male lead, their humourous and heartwarming love journey as well as the occasional nuggets of wisdoms from someone who has lived for centuries on life - I wasn’t able to see them on screen. While I give the production team a benefit of doubt, it’s hard for me to rate this higher than it is.

There were plus points though. The cinematography is great. The actor and actress are great too, even if I don’t felt convinced by their on screen chemistry. Also if you haven’t read the original webtoon like I did, maybe you will be able to enjoy See You in My 19th Life much better than me, without the bias and all.

I will “see y’all” in my next review.

Citeste mai mult

Meeting your match

Wonderland of Love (WoL) is a surprising enjoyable ride, following the love story of Li Ni and Cui Lin.

For the review, I will mainly use Cui Lin’s nickname, Ah Ying, when referring to her since this is what Li Ni likes to call her by.

Li Ni’s and Ah Ying’s meet cute began with a fight for food supply and reclaiming of the cities to save the “king” that was being held hostage at capital.

What was intriguing from the get go was the battle of wits between the two of them, who held different armies. Smart and capable as they were, we couldn’t tell who had the upper hand nor who to root for as they competed for the same resources and gain the upper hand.

Li Ni and Ah Ying quickly turned allies when they unwittingly figured they worked more effectively together. The interactions remained fun to follow as they maintained the playful friendly flirtatious rivalry between them. … until the dynamics started to change by episode 16-ish when it seemed like Li Ni became the stronger one, be it from moral code, family power, or affection shown to other.

For the record, I still like Ah Ying a lot. She is one of the cunning, decisive, and likeable female leads that’s hard to come by in an idol drama. The slightly disappointed part to me was the troupe-y plot devices used to create the necessary tension between female and male leads to move the story along.

There were instances I felt that she overused Li Ni’s affection for her and / or she got turned into a weaker party. Was her hidden weapons only used for Li Ni? Where’s the independent cunning female lead we were introduced to at the start? It wasn’t that Ah Ying had the obligations to return Li Ni’s affection the exact same way he was doting her biasedly (on some level) or troupes like obsessive SML cannot be used in stories. It would’ve been nice to see a little more layers in Ah Ying and her development that’s present on Li Ni’s side through their love journey …or maybe I fast forwarded too much to see that side of Ah Ying.

On the other hand though, I recognised that a lot of conflicts they had were realistic and consistent with their characters setup. Li Ni may be loyal, upright and capable - but he is also impulsive and idealistic. Cui Lin is indeed cunning, pragmatic and overbearing - but she is also caring to her loved ones, willing to make the necessary sacrifices for the bigger goal and is resourceful. I guess this made them perfect for each other.

The real pity is the one dimensional supporting characters and slightly draggy plots. With weaker supporting cast, WoL’s story plot were less engaging and felt cliche-ish at some parts. They could’ve totally cut the story to 24 - 26 episodes and it likely would’ve made no difference to the enjoyment of Li Ni’s and Ah Ying’s love story.

Acting wise, I like both Xu Kai’s and Jing Tian’s portrayal of the characters and their chemistry. Believable enough for me to invest in Shi Qi Lang’s and Ah Ying’s romance in WoL. Lovely enough for me to swoon for those romantic moments and ignore the cliche-ness way of showing them on screen.

All in all, WoL is the typical idol drama that has a strong start, which somewhat feel draggy troupey halfpoint, and finishes off with an okay-ish, predictable climax. It’s still an enjoyable drama when one has the right expectations for it.

With both capable leads who are complement to each other in terms of wits and great chemistry, WoL is overall a fun and enjoyable flirtatious idol romance story.

Citeste mai mult